Mayor Sofia Aragon, City of Burien

01/01/2024

As 2024 begins, best wishes to the new Burien City Council.

12/11/2023

Thank you to Rabbi Moshe Wolff of the Chabad Jewish Center of Burien for inviting me to participate in the annual Chanukah celebration. You can wish someone a happy Hanukkah by saying chag sameach, which is pronounced [ khag sah–meh-ahkh ]. This expression means “happy holiday.” Another Hanukkah greeting is chag urim sameach [ khag oo-reem sah–meh-ahkh ], which translates to “happy festival of lights.”

12/10/2023

Received seasons greetings from the White House and residence of the Vice President. Including paw signatures from Willow (the First Cat) and Commander (the First Dog).

12/06/2023

Recognizing Burien youth who are graduating from the King County Sheriff's Law Enforcement Explorers Program. ​This is a volunteer program for young adults ages 14-21 that includes classroom, hands on training, and community events. Sparking interest will help us close a severe workforce shortage in public safety.

12/03/2023

Thanks to the Greater Seattle Korean Association for the invitation to recognize our first responders at the 56th annual Arirang Night.

11/18/2023

It's a wrap! Highlights of what was learned during the National League of Cities conference

11/18/2023

Celebrating Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards' service as President of the National League of Cities. With City Councilmembers for Tukwila, Bellevue, and Renton.

11/17/2023

What a privilege to meet journalist and author Beth Macy. She wrote the book Dopesick which is about Perdue Pharma's culpability in the opioid epidemic. Her writing inspires me to raise awareness of the Fentanyl epidemic and to advocate for prevention as well as treatment and recovery.

11/17/2023

Feeling inspired and validated listening to a fireside chat with former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and Shawyn Patterson Howard facilitated by Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards on civility in politics. Words of wisdom and reflection: "We need more civil communities so that those who can make far more money with less work run for office. Otherwise we just get egomaniacs running for office," "We are public servants and not public punching bags," "Give yourself grace as you give others,";"Be committed to yourself and don't get committed to the hospital."

11/16/2023

At the National League of Cities learning about the functional aspects of parks. Under the administration of Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, Westside Park was established repurposing land that used to be a quarry and prison camp. She was known as the "Sewer Mayor," fixing the city's sewer crisis that cost $25 million in federal fines. Rodney Cook Park, in Atlanta's historic Westside, manages stormwater and prevents flooding that historically destroyed homes and displaced residents.

11/16/2023

"The substance use epidemic is one of the most significant public health challenges of our time. Since the start of the opioid crisis, more than 932,000 people have died from a drug overdose. Over 250 lives are lost daily due to overdose, with disproportionate mortality numbers among historically marginalized groups. In addition to the overall mortality numbers, non-fatal overdoses are alarmingly high."

11/15/2023

"Most people don't realize the funding never even comes to our cities. It goes to our counties and states, and we literally have to fight for it as far as we possibly can because we are at ground zero."'

While a national convening of mayors in Los Angeles resulted in robust discussions and helped formulate the makings of an action plan to address homelessness, city leaders said the federal government must do more to support housing efforts.